Indoor Batting Cage Coming to North End’s Nazzaro Center

The City of Boston and the Boston Red Sox Foundation have selected the North End Nazzaro Community Center as one of four Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) to receive an indoor batting cage! The cages are being funded by the Youth Development Foundation, an initiative established in 2015 by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to improve youth baseball programs in the U.S. and Canada. The first cage was installed this past Wednesday at the Tobin Community Center in Mission Hill. Along with the Nazzaro Center, Roxbury’s Shelburne Center and Jamaica Plain’s Curtis Hall will also be getting indoor batting cages installed over the next few months by the Boston Red Sox Foundation.

These cages are an exciting addition to the BCYFs where young community members will now be able to practice their baseball skills all year round. In a statement from the City of Boston MLBPA Executive Director, Tony Clark, discussed the thought behind the batting cages explaining, “One of the main goals of the [Youth Development] Foundation is to improve access to the sport of baseball for inner-city youth, and we believe this project will help cultivate greater levels of interest and participation in our great game among Boston youth.”

Mayor Walsh also commented on the benefits of the batting cages stating, “Baseball isn’t just a sport – it’s a passion for so many Boston residents and children, and this grant will allow young people throughout our City to improve their baseball game in a welcoming, accessible environment.” He went on to say, “I’m grateful to our Red Sox Foundation partners for providing BCYF centers with batting cages that will allow our young athletes to enjoy baseball throughout every month of the year.”